Antioxidant activity of brown macroalgae Sargassum ethanol extract from Lombok coast, Indonesia

The coastal areas of Lombok has very high diversity of macroalgae which are largely unexplored. Among them are the brown macroalgae Sargassum species which are well known for their biological potentials. In this study, we aim to evaluate 4 Sargassum species, S.cristaefolium, S. crassifolium, S. polycystum, and S. aquifolium for their antioxidant potential of Sargassum species found the west coastal Aare of Lombok, Indonesia. To determine the antioxidant capacity of macroalgal extracts, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) as well as total phenolic content (TPC) were measured. Extracts of the brown macroalgae are well known to have very active antioxidant activity. Among them S. cristaefolium and S.crassifolium provide stronger antioxidant activity compared to S.aquifolium and S.polycystum. Furthermore, correlations were found between TPC macroalgal and their DPPH scavenging activity. This indicates an important role of polyphenols as antioxidants. Overall, brown macroalgae from Lombok coastal area may be a good source of natural bioactive compounds.